The Bench
by SexyChief
Summary: This is a one-shot (my first one). Here Helga and Arnold are about 13 and their 7th grade school year is coming to an end. He spots her sitting in the park on a bench and he finally sees a side of her he's been waiting to see since preschool.


I'm riding my bike enjoying a typical late spring, early summer day. The breeze is perfect, there is just the right amount of the sun out, but it's not too hot or cold; just right. I decided to cut through the park and make my way back home when I see someone familiar. I get off his bike and begin to walk with it. I look at this person, her blonde hair and her blue eyes look like they belong to someone I've known for a long time. This girl that always wore a small blue beanie and her hair pulled back in a single ponytail with her face always in a book or her journal constantly writing. This girl whose default expression is typically a scowl; but the calm, thoughtful and almost wholesome expression that is currently present is what makes her look like an entirely different person.

I stand there unable to move, staring at this girl who's tormented me for years, but somehow right now I'm more afraid than ever to approach her. We hadn't spoken much this year; well she barely talked to me, and a part of me missed her. I didn't miss the spitballs or getting yelled at, but still, I missed her. As I looked at her, I'm feeling nervous as ever to approach her; I shook my head wondering what was wrong with me. I'm always willing to face things, so I inhale a bottle of confidence and slowly head over to this girl who's looking away and doesn't notice me.

Now I'm right next to her.

She finally sees me, and her eyes lit up with excitement mixed with what seemed like nervousness; she looked slightly startled.

"Can I sit down?" I ask.

She stared at me for half a moment and then flutters her eyes away and back up to the sky. She cleared her throat after I guess she continued to feel my presence. "It's a free country." That was a typical Helga response I thought, but something sounded different in her voice, I believe it was absent of her general meanness or sarcasm.

I sit down. Helga's glance remained fixated on the sky. I take a quick look at the heavens and then back at Helga; I never realized this before, but her eyes were the same shade of blue as the sky, and I thought she looked so beautiful. To be honest, I always thought Helga was cute, but right now with her expression free of that ever-present scowl instead, she looked calm, dreamy and sweet. I never thought I would use those words to describe Helga G. Pataki, but it applies right now. And that's what makes her beautiful to me.

Helga finally turned her attention to me. "If you take a picture it will last longer football head." I thought again standard Helga thing to say, but her voice much like her expression sounded almost serene.; something I hadn't expected.

My mouth began moving to express this. "You know Helga…you seem different."

Her eyes fell from the sky to me, in them was some humor but once again no evilness. "Oh, what have I grown a second head?"

I laugh at that. "No… but you just don't seem as…" I hesitate, not wanting to ruin things by saying something that could be perceived the wrong way. Or like I'm insulting her because right now more than ever that's the last thing I want to do.

Helga, unlike on a usual day, remains quiet, patiently waiting for my response. But after a second too long, I suppose that bit of patience ran out. So she decided to help me out. "Bitchy?"

Her word choice stabbed at my heart for some reason, and I profoundly shake my head. "That's not the word I would use-"

She waved a hand my way, shaking her head too. "Arnold its okay, I know I'm usually nasty to you and everyone, even Phoebe, but a person can't be like that 24-7 … it gets exhausting." Looking her over, I can see the tracks of that exhaustion in the slump of her shoulders and weariness in her eyes. My heart went out of her like it never had before. I wanted to say or do something to make her feel better, but what? She chuckled a little although it didn't sound too enthusiastic. "I have to admit that sometimes it feels good to be more sanguine and less morose..." Her flyaway strands shook as her head did and her thoughtful eyes level up again. At this moment, to me, she resembled an angel.

After taking in her sentiments, I nod, understanding where she was coming from and look down at my hands. It just dawned on me that Helga used my name; it was strange, but also quite touching.

My eyebrows knitted together because there was so much I was feeling while sitting next to the girl who tormented me since preschool. So much I want to say to her and also ask her. At the same time, I am content with finally getting somewhere with her, that she was somewhat breaking down a wall.

"Well, I can relate to that."

Helga turned to me with a smirk etched on her lip. "How could _you_ possibly relate?" She asks me in disbelief, still with some amusement in her voice.

I thought more about that for a second and before beginning to speak. "Well… I'm usually the person that gives people advice and tries to make everyone more positive in situations…" Shaking my head just slightly I stare at the ground, realizing I'm expressing things I hadn't with anyone before. "But sometimes I get scared; sometimes I'm the one that needs help, and sometimes I feel mad at the world..."

I could feel her eyes on me, so I turned to look at her seeing the expected shock forming into her features.

But then something I didn't expect happened. Helga's mouth curved up into a soft, genuine smile. As a result, my eyes lit up, and a sensation races through my entire body that I never felt before.

Just from a smile.

Something I've seen a billion times in my life, but somehow, none of them affected me like hers.

In fear of that smile fading away, I hold on to her gaze for as long as she allowed. Then with her mouth still curled up, she shifted away from me, and the coolest most refreshing breeze flows past. Somehow, it gives me the courage I needed to say what rumbled within me.

"Helga…"

She angled in her position to face me directly, looking as nervous as I still felt. Those nerves settle a little as I caught traces of kindness and affection in her gaze that I had never seen before.

I blink a few times and trying to find the words that could describe what I was happening to me…this feeling was foreign …well at least for a girl, especially this particular girl. My eyes lock with hers seeing many great things, so much I wanted to see for all these years because her mask was finally fully off. And now for the first time since I first met her, her inner beauty is on full display much like her outer beauty always was.

"Arnold, are you going to say something?" I could melt at the vulnerable tenderness of her voice and shy look on her face.

A smile tugged at my mouth because of hearing my name coming out of the sweetest, the most real voice; truly like music to my ears, to say the least. My body started moving without my consent, and I stood up in front of her. She appears so vulnerable peering up at me, apparently trying to anticipate what I was going to say and to be honest, I'm curious as to what I was going to say as well. It was the weirdest, scariest and yet most amazing feeling I've ever experienced.

Again, my body was doing things that I didn't tell it to do. I reach down and take hold of Helga's soft, warm hand. Then I look back into those beautiful, blue eyes of hers with so many emotions running through me. I feel incredibly overwhelmed, and I'm confident it is registering on my face.

To calm myself and gain a grip, I take a deep breath. Following that, out escapes words, I never anticipated saying to Helga Pataki. But they were nonetheless accurate. "I wanted to say…. that I love you." After those words had flowed out of my mouth, I felt completely relieved and overjoyed at the same time. Overjoyed because those words I spoke are true and relief because I knew that she loved me too.


End file.
